Victims of Pittsburgh Shooting named; suspect charged with 29 counts

PITTSBURGH, PA (AP) – According to police officials, 11 people were killed and 6 injured in a mass shooting in Pittsburgh.

According to Curt Conrad, chief of staff for Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor, the 10 people were killed at the Tree Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The FBI is investigating this shooting as a hate crime.

The suspect has been identified as Robert Bowers, 46, according to law enforcement officials. Officials say Bowers made anti-Semitic statements during the shooting. Officials are focusing on social media postings that are believed to have come from Bowers as a part of the investigation.

Law enforcement officials say Bowers used an AR-15 assault style rifle and at least three handguns and used anti-simitic slurs while opening fire in the synagogue. Bowers is facing federal and state charges. Federal officials have charged him with 29 criminal counts including; obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs, a hate crime, and using a firearm to commit murder.

Bowers is also facing state charges including; 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation.

The oldest victim was 97 years old, and the youngest 54. Among those killed were a pair of brothers and a married couple. Here are the victims:

Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood Borough, Pennsylvania

Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal, 59 and 54, of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

Rose Mallinger, a 97-year-old from Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

Married couple Bernice and Sylvan Simon, 84 and 86, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania

Richard Gottfried, 65, of Ross Township, Pennsylvania

Daniel Stein, 71, of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

Melvin Wax, 88, of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

Irving Younger, 69 of Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood

Joyce Fienberg, 75, of Oakland neighborhood, Pittsburgh

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ORIGINAL STORY l A shooter opened fire during a baby naming ceremony at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, killing several people and wounding six others including four police officers who dashed to the scene, authorities said.

Commander Jason Lando told reporters Saturday the shooting was reported near the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

He said the public should “shelter in place” and report any unusual activity.

Pittsburgh tweeted that there is an active shooter in the area of Wilkins and Shady avenues, and the synagogue is at that intersection. The tree-lined residential neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, has a heavily Jewish population.

The congregation’s president declined to comment.

Police said a suspect was in custody after the attack at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. A law enforcement official identified the suspect as Robert Bowers and said he is in his 40s. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Police said “several” people were killed. Six were wounded, including the four police officers, said Wendell Hissrich, the Pittsburgh public safety director.

“It is a very horrific crime scene. It was one of the worst that I’ve seen. It is very bad,” Hissrich said.

The attack took place during a baby naming ceremony, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. It was unknown whether the attack harmed the baby.

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